“Iran should abide by its international commitment,” a White House statement said on Wednesday following talks between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and President Barack Obama.
The two leaders expressed their hope that indirect talks between the Israelis and Palestinians would lead to direct talks to establish a Palestinian state that would live peacefully with Israel. They also emphasized the need to start negotiations on the Syrian and Lebanese tracks in order to reach a comprehensive Middle East peace settlement. Obama praised King Abdullah’s support to the peace process and the Arab peace initiative.
After the working lunch and the Oval Office talks, King Abdullah praised Obama’s leadership. “You are an honorable man and you are a good man. I say this because this is the truth as I hear from people around the world,” King Abdullah said. “I tell the Americans that you are the friends of Saudi Arabia, Arabs and the humanity,” the king said, adding that this friendship that began since the time of King Abdul Aziz and President Franklin Roosevelt would become stronger in the coming years.
“The two leaders also discussed international efforts to support Afghanistan and pledged their support for Lebanon to preserve its sovereignty,” the statement said. The talks also focused on Yemen’s security and the need for a unity government in Iraq.
Saudi Arabia and the US called for more efforts to combat extremism and violence. Obama commended Saudi Arabia’s successful counterterrorism endeavors against Al-Qaeda and the decision taken by the Council of Senior Islamic Scholars in Saudi Arabia, incriminating terrorism and terror funding. “President Obama expressed his support to King Abdullah’s interfaith and cultural dialogue initiative and reiterated his commitment to close down the Guantanamo prison,” the White House said.
King Abdullah and Obama also discussed the outcome of G20 Summit in Toronto and prospects of expanding economic, commercial, scientific and educational cooperation between the two countries.
The White House said Obama and Abdullah, in their third meeting since Obama became president, highlighted the strong relations between the two countries.
